Rylla's Bounty (HIATUS)
by xxTheTruMan196
Summary: She was only fifteen years old when Order 66 was enacted, which forced her into hiding. She had to survive in a cruel, unforgiving galaxy all on her own, learning the hard way that she has to rely on herself. Yet years later, Rylla was still plagued by the loss and fear of what happened to her youngling clan.
1. Chapter 1

**_Agamar System - Outer Rim Territories [ 19 BBY ]_**

Jedi Knight Malius Ando stares intently at the surrounding rocky landscape, his eyes searching for a sign of their target. The Jedi High Council recently received rumors and reports of a Separatist hideout on the planet Agamar, and sent him and his clone troopers to search the planet and see if the rumored base is true. If it is, then they would have to flush the Separatists from the system.

However he is slightly unsure of this assignment, but not because he didn't think he could handle it. After all, it was only a week ago that he received himself a new Padawan.

"Master Ando, what makes the possibility of a Separatist base being here so certain?" Rylla asks, coming up beside him.

Malius lets out a quiet, unnoticeable sigh and turns to face his new apprentice.

"Activity in this system has been too quiet for the Council's liking, considering the heavy Separatist presence in close proximity to surrounding area," he explains.

"And if there isn't a base, what to we do then?" she questions.

Before he could answer, his clone commander's sensor began beeping.

"General!" he calls out, rushing over to him.

"What have you found Commander Santos?" Malius asks.

Commander Santos checks his wrist com, one of the buttons blinking.

"I'm not sure sir, but there appears to be a faint signal 16 clicks, due North," he reports.

"Alright, we'll check it out. Rally the men," he orders.

Malius begins heading off in that direction, Rylla following after him obediently. Commander Santos turns toward the patrol group with them, gesturing to follow.

"You heard the general! Let's move it boys!" he orders.

The tank begins walking in the direction that Malius and Rylla are headed, the troopers on the ground marching along as well. The large patrol group travels through the rocky mountains and hills, following the source of the faint signal that is coming from that direction. In orbit above the planet, a Venator class cruiser continues to monitor Agamar, also keeping watch for any possible surprise attacks from a Separatist fleet. The clones base camp wasn't too far from Malius and Rylla's current position, where the shuttle and a few gunships wait by in case of an emergency.

As they continue walking Rylla stares ahead, her eyes slightly unfocused, and Malius glances at his Padawan with a knowing expression.

"Are you still thinking about your clan mates young one?" he asks her.

She glances up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry Master, it's hard not too sometimes," she admits.

"I understand. When I first became a padawan it was hard not to miss them sometimes," he replies in understanding. "Of course, with clan mates such as yours I can only imagine it's especially difficult for you."

She nods her head.

"Yes Master. Both Padawan Tano and Padawan Shan were really fun to be around, and I can't help but feel a little envious since their Masters always go on missions together. Which means they get to be together too," Rylla explains.

"I suppose so," Malius replies thoughtfully. "But remember to keep your mind clear Padawan, especially during times like these, less you become distracted and make mistakes."

"Yes Master," she replies.

Commander Santo walks a couple of steps behind his general and commander when all of a sudden his communicator begins to beep. He glances at it, a bit confused, and the two Jedi also glance behind at him.

"You keep going sir, I'll catch up," he reassures them.

"Alright, Santos. Make sure to keep up," Malius replies with a small smile.

Commander Santos nods in reply, and the two Jedi make their way around the curve with his patrol following while he pulls out his communicator. He accepts the transmission, curious about who it was, only to be greeted by a bizarre sight. Who on earth is this... scarred old man in black robes contacting him for?!

_"Execute Order, 66,"_ the hologram of Darth Sidious orders.

It's as if someone flicked a switch in his mind. He immediately straightens his posture, his men all around him doing the same thing. They start to receive reports that the Jedi are all involved in a conspiracy to betray the Republic, and their orders are to deal with them at any cost, executing them. They were bred to fight for the Republic, and good soldiers follow orders. Santos nods his head obediently.

"It will be done my lord," he replies, ending the transmission.

Santos pockets his communicator and looks up at his men, giving them all a nod. They prepare their weapons and continue their march forwards, moving quicker in order to catch up to the Jedi. Up ahead, Malius and Rylla both continue on their walk, the rest of their patrol still a few feet behind them, until Malius stops, sensing a strange shift in the Force. Rylla takes notice with concern.

"Master?" she asks cautiously.

He raises a hand to quiet her, and narrows his eyes, scanning the area intently. The Force is warning him about something... something terrible.

"Something's wrong," he murmurs worriedly, glancing at her. "Let's get the troops back to camp."

Rylla develops a nervous look but nods obediently, shuffling alongside her master. They turn around and make their way back to the patrol, finding Commander Santos having caught up with them, the AT-TE still behind the small hill a little ways back.

"Commander, something's gone wrong. We'll have to turn around and head back towards the camp," Malius informs him.

"Of course sir," Santos replies impassively. "However, there is an issue that has come up..."

Malius narrows his eyes in confusion and suspicion, immediately sensing something off about the clone commander. Just then, a massive wave of pain and horror bursts through the Force, and crying out to him with the feeling of shock and fear. Malius flinches painfully in response, holding a hand to his head before widening his eyes in realization.

"Rylla! Get back!" he shouts, whipping out his lightsaber.

Rylla gasps in terror as the clones take aim at them, stumbling back in confusion. The clones all open fire with their blasters, and Malius waves his lightsaber around to deflect the blasters bolts back. Santos dives out of the way of a few redirected blasts, which take down two troopers just behind him. Malius quickly backs away, deflecting the blue laser fire away from him and Rylla, the latter continuing to stare in terror and confusion.

"What are they doing?!" she yells fearfully.

"Run, Rylla!" Malius exclaims.

Thrusting a hand out, Malius shoves the clones back with a Force push, temporarily stopping the blaster fire. He turns around and starts running, Rylla quickly following his example and running after him. They dash through the short, rocky mountains only to quickly find another patrol of clones in front of them to cut them off, and they immediately open fire. Both Jedi ignite their lightsabers and redirect the blaster fire back at the troopers, although Rylla has more difficulty, having not been in a true combat situation yet. Redirected blaster fire hits some of the clone troopers, but more are beginning to flank around them.

"Move, down that pathway!" Malius says, pointing towards a small tunnel in the rocks.

Rylla doesn't argue and moves to do so, but just then the AT-TE appears around a corner, it's cannon aimed at them and charging up. Malius widens his eyes in alarm and glances between the tank and his Padawan, easily making a quick decision. He whips around and uses the Force to throw Rylla down into the small entrance, much to her surprise, just as the tank fires.

"MASTER!" she yells in horror.

The shot from the blaster cannon hits the ground right next to them, sending Malius flying across the ground away from Rylla and striking a weak portion of rock. Boulders tumble down as a result and cut the two off from each other, much to Rylla's terror. She struggles to frantically claw away at the rocks, not wanting to leave her new master behind, but only manages to get enough rocks out of the way to see through a small gap.

Jedi Knight Malius Ando groans in pain, having just barely missed taking the full force of the walker's blaster cannon, and attempts to rise. The sound of heavy footsteps quickly gains his attention before he's roughly pulled up from the ground. He gives out a brief cry of pain, a couple of his bones broken as a result of the blast, but the clones don't care. His lightsaber lies on the ground a feet away, and he can barely see straight, his focus only coming to rest on an approaching Commander Santos. The rest of his former patrol all surround him, blasters raised.

"Why... why would you do this...?" he asks weakly, feeling a sense of betrayal.

"Good soldiers follow orders Jedi," Santos says coldly.

He raises his blaster pistol and fires a point blank shot through the Jedi Knight's head, who only had a moment to stare up at him defiantly before being killed. From inside the tunnel, Rylla gasps in shock, horror overcoming her as tears well up in her eyes.

"Spread out and find the other Jedi. We kill on sight!" Santos orders his men.

Grief overcomes Rylla as she begins to sob, stumbling away from the blocked entrance of the cave. She travels further inside the dark tunnel, terrified, heartbroken, and struck with heaping sobs as she comes to terms with what just occurred.

She's alone.

* * *

_**Author's Note:** Hey readers! I'm sure some of you who have been following me for some time now may be a bit surprised and confused with this "new" story being made. Well I've finally thought of some things to add to the story of Rylla, my OC bounty hunter character! Here's to hoping I can follow through this time, haha. But I think I'm off to a good start so far!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Agamar System - Outer Rim Territories [ 19 BBY ]_**

Rylla sits alone in the cave, sobbing quietly to herself as she grieves over the loss of her master and what would possibly happen to her. It's been some time since the betrayal of the clones, and she is already beginning to feel the effects of dehydration, and lack of food. She doesn't know how long she's been down in this cave. She finally looks up from her position on the ground, sniffling to herself.

"Think, Rylla... think," she whispers. "What should I do?"

She tries to think of what her Master would tell her, but she honestly doesn't know too much of what he would say, considering they only knew each other for a week and this was her first, now her last, mission with him. So instead, her thoughts drift towards those of her former youngling clan, and what they would do.

Weron and Kurhran, the two fun yet over-the-top of their group, the latter always looking to prove himself. They wouldn't be much better than her in this situation. Next there's Vifi, the moody, usually quiet one of the bunch, but she was more willing to follow along with what their teachers taught, and what they'd tell them to do. She would probably mutter about Rylla having to get off her butt and stop being so mopey. Rylla sighs at the thought of what Vifi would think.

Then there's Jarik and Ahsoka... surely they would know what to do. They are, well… most likely 'were' now, accomplished commanders and war veterans at this point, having been fighting alongside the likes of Masters Kenobi and Skywalker, two well known and beloved heroes of the Republic. Jarik was often joking around, but he had very good gifts with lightsaber combat, slicing into technology, and always had an idea of what he wanted to do. Ahsoka was always stubborn in her fierce determination, never willing to give up and always seeking to prove herself. The sudden possibility that they could be dead now makes her freeze with terror...

They can't be dead! They just can't be!

Gathering her thoughts and beginning to focus, Rylla thinks about what her friends Jarik or Ahsoka would do, how they were always so good at it, and gets to her feet. She has to thin like them if she wants to survive this experience, even if it was awful and heartbreaking. Looking around, she spots another tunnel in the dark and, closing her eyes, tries to feel along its path with the Force. After a few moments, she feels like it is probably okay, and starts down that long tunnel, glancing around nervously at the walls as if expecting something to jump out at her.

It must have been at least another hour before she sees some small pinprick of light at the end of the tunnel. She gasps in relief, tears flowing from her eyes and starts to run towards the light, which grows brighter and brighter.

Unfortunately, she doesn't think about what the ground is like and can't see very well, and her foot catches on a piece of rock, tripping her over. She cries out in pain as her foot slammed into the rock, and her lekku slapped against the hard ground painfully, making her wince in pain. Her ankle starts to throb and she glances down, seeing her foot caught against the rock. It doesn't look seriously hurt, but when she tries to move it a sharp jolt of pain erupts through her leg, and she cries out again.

"Why?!" she wails, crying at the feeling again.

Glancing upwards at the light, so tauntingly close, she sniffs and scowls, pushing herself to her feet and holding her hand against the wall. She tries to walk forward, but the best she could do was limp, wincing every time she puts weight on her left foot. Continuing onwards, she eventually gets within feet of the bright light, which appears to be an opening from the cavern. Passing through, she squints her eyes heavily at the bright sunlight, and once she adjusts to it, she looks around.

Whatever determination and hope she held at the thought of her clan mates vanishes upon seeing the desolate landscape surrounding her. Aside from the occasional rock formation or tall mountain, it's just a flat expanse of emptiness, cold rock and snow the only thing she can see. Tears well up in her eyes at the realization of her situation, and what's even worse is that her stomach was growling slightly. She hasn't eaten in a while.

Still, there's only one thing Rylla can do, as terrifying and hopeless as it seems. So she starts walking.

* * *

**_Garel System - Outer Rim Territories [ 11 BBY ]_**

The door to the landing pad opens and a twi'lek woman with purple skin walks through, wearing a casual brown jacket with light gray pants, with two blaster holsters set around her thighs. Raising her left arm up she looks down at bounty puck she's carrying, viewing a small holographic image that lists a set of directions. After reading it she puts her puck away and then leaves the landing pad, turning onto the street.

It's a busier day, as new merchants had come in with more artifacts and supplies to be bartered in the markets, something that most people wanted to get their hands on. She shoulders her way past a few people of varying species, keeping quiet and remaining nonchalant as she goes about her business. Every so often she would pass by stormtroopers overlooking the crowd, standing in small groups or pairs, and would avert her gaze with a frown of contempt. She maneuvers past a group of duros men arguing with each other, shaking her head at the sight. When she reaches an intersection she stops once more and pulls out of puck, viewing the directions. Seeing her target close by, she turns her head and catches sight of the cantina along a narrower side street, and smiles to herself.

Lowering her arm, she changes direction and makes her way to the cantina, the doors opening the moment the motion detectors spot her at the entrance. The sound of the busy street is muffled when the doors close behind her, and she takes a few steps into the cantina, looking around. Like any other pub in the galaxy, it was filled with scoundrels, shady figures, and a few females dancing off to the side by a pole. She cringes in distaste at the sight of the dancers, particularly upon seeing the twi'lek with them, but keeps her feelings hidden and ignores it in favor of focusing on her task. That kind of practice is common around most cantinas in the galaxy, so this one shouldn't be any different.

Looking around the cantina once more she pulls out her puck and views the image once more, before putting it away. With the image in mind, she scans the cantina and locates her quarry: a gotal male, sitting at a booth and in deep conversation with a human male.

Hiding her thoughts behind her impassive expression, she makes her way to sit down two booths down from them, and a twi'lek waitress quickly appears beside her table.

"Could I get you anything sweetie?" she asks in a soft voice.

"Jawa juice would be fine," she replies with a kind smile.

"Of course," the waitress replies, nodding her head.

As the waitress makes her way over to the bar to collect the drink she listens in to the conversation behind held between the gotal and the human, tapping her fingers on the table.

"So you've got it all figured out?" the gotal demands, his voice stuttering through the use of galactic basic.

"Everything," the human replies. "The package is ready and waiting for delivery."

"It better be! This is a very important haul we're dealing with!" the gotal snaps.

"Relax! I know the details about it," the human replies defensively. "Your employer will be pleased, I assure you."

As she listens in the conversation she can't help the small scowl that forms on her face, also knowing exactly what 'package' the two were referring to. The waitress then returns with a cup in hand, setting it down on the table. She smiles up at the waitress gratefully, and picks up the drink while the twi'lek moves off. Raising it to her lips she takes a small sip, listening once more.

"What're you planning to do with the money?" the human asks.

"None of your business," the gotal retorts. "All you need to know is that we won't have the Hutts seeking our heads!"

"Well isn't that something good to know," he scoffs.

There's silence for a few long seconds, making her still slightly in her sipping, becoming cautious.

"I know it is," the gotal says, his voice lower. "I also know, when people are listening to what they should not!"

She widens her eyes in alarm, and quickly ducks her head down just as a blaster bolt goes soaring through the space she was just in. A few of the dancers and waitresses let out startled cries while other patrons of the cantina look over in bewilderment and anger. Ducking out of her booth, she whips out her two blasters and takes cover behind a table while the gotal and the human start firing at her.

"Hey, what's with all this ruckus!" the bartender exclaims furiously.

Unfortunately for him, chaos soon breaks out in the bar as a few shots nick other people, prompting them to start fighting. Jumping up from cover, she shoots back and forces her target to duck for cover himself, while the human starts running out in an attempt to tackle her. She swiftly ducks underneath his blaster shot and then twirls around to kick him in the chest.

The gotal follows up right after and swings his arm, managing to hit a blaster out of her hand. Grunting, she shoves him away and then picks her drink up from the table, whirling around to smash him in the face with it. He cries out in pain from the glass shattering against his face, and she swiftly follows up her attack by leaping forwards to knee him in the head, deliver a few swift jabs to his side with her fists, and then delivers a roundhouse kick that knocks him to the ground.

The human makes another charge for her, but she sidesteps him to make him stumble, then pulls her short staff off of her back. Clicking a button it flips out to a greater length, becoming more suitable for a weapon with blunt ends constructed out of a metal called cortosis. The man turns to try and face her, blaster raised, but she swings her staff to smack it out of his hands. She jabs him in the stomach to make him gasp breathlessly in pain, and then twirls her staff around to hit him in the head, knocking him out cold.

She then feels a sensation that's warning her, and whips around just in time to raise her staff and deflect a blaster bolt sent her way. Like with the human, she lunges forward to smack the blaster out of the gotal's hands and then trips him up with her staff so that he falls on his back. Before he could recover she moves forward to place a foot on his chest, pointing her staff over his head in a clearly threatening manner. The gotal shakes his head in pain before looking up at her with a scowl.

"You!" he exclaims.

"Me," she agrees with a nod. "Give it up Gluhkok!"

"What makes you think I have what you're looking for?" he demands.

"Like you said, I was listening," she retorts. "So you better hurry, or there will be trouble."

Gluhkok laughs at her however, not feeling threatening by the statement.

"Am I supposed to be scared? I've heard enough about you, Rylla Tann. You may claim yourself to be a bounty hunter, but you are far from it," he mocks her. "You don't have the spine to be one."

"Oh, it's not a threat from me," Rylla replies, narrowing her eyes. "I'm sure the Shu-Torun would just _love_ to have a few words with you for selling the princess into slavery."

Gluhkok's grin falters at the comment, and Rylla leans down closer to him with an angry glare on her face.

"So, do tell," she says coldly.

* * *

Hayden leans against the wall of a building in a small, narrow street, his foot resting up against it. He looks down up and down the street with a bored expression, waiting for his companion to arrive with their target. After a while he sighs tiredly and pulls out his data pad, tapping away at it absentmindedly.

As a quite successful smuggler, in his humble opinion, Hayden prides himself on being the best of the best, a man worthy of being remembered compared to the millions of other nobodies in the galaxy. He's a fantastic pilot, a good mechanic, and the most charming man around. He's been in the business for a very long time, so he knows how things work at this point, and is ready for anything that comes his way.

"Got him, Hayden!" a voice calls out.

Hayden jumps in surprise, fumbling with the datapad and accidentally dropping it on the ground. Rylla raises an eyebrow at him incredulously, watching as he gathers his wits back together.

"Kriff, Rylla! Don't sneak up on me like that!" he snaps.

"Sneak up on you? In this alley?" she asks, before sighing. "Nevermind, I've got- what are you looking at?"

As he picks up his datapad she catches a glimpse of what he was viewing, staring at him in disbelief.

"It's fine, it's nothing. My business Ryl Ryl," Hayden sighs, placing the datapad in an inside pocket of his jacket.

"You know how I feel about that!" she says, frowning.

"Yeah. So that's why I've decided not to bother you, and instead focus my attention on harmless images!" he replies, grinning. "You know I'm attracted to pretty girls!"

"Ugh, you're such a weirdo," she mutters, rubbing her face and sighing.

"At least I'm not a pervert or slave trafficker. I'm more than respectful of the female gender," he states with a smile.

"Real funny," she scoffs, rolling her eyes in fond exasperation. "Anyways, speaking of slave traffickers…"

She reaches behind her and yanks Gluhkok forward as he attempts to slip away, shoving him onto the ground in front of them. His hands were bound together behind his back, and a gag was set around his mouth. He grunts upon hitting the ground and then glares up at his captors angrily.

"…I found Gluhkok hiding out in a pub," she finishes.

"This is the guy who kidnapped Princess Trios?" Hayden asks, observing him with a frown. "Isn't he one ugly dude."

Gluhkok glares at him scathingly, and hums in amusement.

"Well, hopefully he's telling truthful," she says.

"You never know. People who work for the Hutts are always shady," he says, giving her a look. "Especially the 'slave catching' wack jobs."

"I can imagine," she scoffs.

Rylla leans down and rips the gag off of Gluhkok's mouth, which he spits out in disgust.

"Alright, where is she?" she demands.

"If Canton was being truthful… then your princess should be just inside that trash bin," Gluhkok growls out reluctantly.

Hayden raises an eyebrow incredulously.

"You put her in the trash?" he asks in bewilderment.

"Well, would you suspect that?" Rylla asks.

He opens his mouth to respond, falters, and then shrugs his shoulders.

"No, I guess not," he admits.

Together, the pair cautiously approached the identified trash bin and carefully open the lid. Inside the bin they see another crate amongst all of the trash, and give each other a look. Gripping opposite sides with both hands, they struggle to lift it up and out of the trash bin with grunts of exertion, setting it down onto the ground beside the bin with a thud.

"Careful!" Rylla snaps.

"Oh, my apologies. Not like it's two people lifting a heavy box," Hayden retorts.

She rolls her eyes, but starts searching for the latch of the box. Hayden comes forwards with a tool in his hand, smirking confidently, and quickly locates the lock on the box. With relative ease he picks it with his tool and unlocks it, allowing the two of them to open it up. Inside they spot Princess Trios bound up with rope and a gag to silence her, looking up at them in terror, although with a hint of hostility and defiance. She has brown hair tied up in a loose bun, and is dressed in a more revealing outfit which, in Hayden and Rylla's opinion, is more like something the Hutts would have their slave dancers where.

"Wow. They really had everything prepared," Hayden comments.

Rylla reaches down and pulls the gag off of Trios, to which she instantly responds with a scoff, scowling up at them.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll release me at once!" she cries out, hiding her fear behind bravado.

"It's ok Trios, we're here to do just that," Rylla assures her with a smile. "We were sent by your family."

"I've never seen either of you around my family before," she retorts disbelievingly.

"Wonder why..." Hayden murmurs to himself.

"We were hired by your family. I'm a bounty hunter, and he's a smuggler," Rylla explains. "We're going to bring you home."

Trios slowly begins to lose her hostility of the two, although she still remains suspicious. At that moment they notice Gluhkok attempting to flee, having gotten to his feet and scurrying down the street.

"Oh look, there he goes," Hayden comments in amusement. "And here's my response!"

Whipping out his blaster pistol, Hayden takes aim and moves forward a few steps, firing shots off from his blaster pistol. Gluhkok cries out in pain as a shot pierces through his chest, and he collapses to the ground dead. Rylla stands up in surprise and annoyance, staring at Hayden with a frown.

"Hayden!" she exclaims.

"What?" he asks, putting his blaster away. "Oh come on, don't tell me you have a problem with that."

"Yeah, I do," she retorts. "You know I don't like people being killed, even if they're bad people."

"He was gonna rot in a Shu-Torun prison anyway, it's not like he'd have life any better," Hayden retorts. "Besides, he's a piece of scum. Slave traffickers are just talking piles of garbage with no dignity."

Rylla sighs, agreeing with him on his reasoning. It doesn't mean that she likes his decision to straight of kill him, far from it. But she still would've preferred not having to kill the guy.

"Alright, well, let's just get Trios back to the ship and get out of here," Rylla says. "I don't want a bunch of stormtroopers chasing us down on the count of murder."

Hayden looks back at the deceased Gluhkok with a frown, realizing the same thing as well.

"Yeah, didn't think about that," he admits.

Together they both make their way back over to the box and help Princess Trio stand up and get out of it. Rylla effortlessly unties the rope bindings around her, and she hugs herself self-consciously, looking around with an anxious expression periodically.

"Thank you…" she murmurs.

"Of course, Trios," Rylla replies with a smile.

She then takes notice of Trios' stance and awkwardness, as well as remembering the type of clothes she was dressed up in so that she would be 'presentable' to the Hutts. Frowning, she glances down at her jacket and then turns toward Hayden, who notices the look with some confusion.

"Give her your coat," she says.

"Huh?" he asks, glancing down at his trench coat, which is a mix of tan and beige in color. "What for?"

"Do you not see what she's wearing?" she replies.

"I mean, yeah, but why can't you give her your jacket?" he asks.

"Because mine is too small," she retorts.

"Too small?" he says disbelievingly, looking her over. "You're just saying this because your brown undershirt is completely form fitting, aren't you?"

"Wh- Hayden!" she snaps, although her skin turns a slight shake darker. "Just give her your jacket, please!"

Hayden smirks at her, recognizing that she's flustered, angry, and embarrassed, but still does as she asks. Taking off his trench coat he hands it over to Trios, who accepts it with a quiet, timid nod.

"Thanks," she mutters, putting the too-large coat on.

"Better Ryl Ryl?" Hayden comments.

"Don't call me that," she replies, grumbling. "Alright, let's get back to the ship."

Together, the three of them start to make their way down the narrow, empty street and head in the direction of their ship. Hayden leads the way while Rylla walks beside Trios to provide her some comfort, with the princess holding the trench coat close around her self-consciously.

Reaching the main street they turn down it and make their way for the landing pads, where their ship is parked. The crowds have thinned out slightly, but there is still quite a large amount of people that keep moving by, and Trios presses herself close in between Rylla and Hayden. More stormtroopers appear at different intervals along the street, but aside from quick glances they don't bother them as they move by. Eventually they reach their landing pad, much to their content.

"Well, this was fairly easy," Hayden comments.

"Don't you dare ruin it for us," Rylla grumbles.

"That's just a stereotype. No one's luck can be that bad, right?" he retorts dismissively.

Hayden unlocks the door by scanning his permit, and opens it up to reveal the hangar. Their ship, the 'Endeavor,' sits inside of the hangar, a metallic gray colored vessel based off of the SS-54 ship favored by bounty hunters, only this model is a bit bigger. Hayden smiles and gestures to it, looking at the two of them.

"See? What'd I tell ya? Stereotype," he says.

"I suppose…" Rylla sighs in response.

They make their way over to the ship and the side door opens up, extending a ramp to let them inside. Rylla directs Trios inside, and Hayden moves to follow before the larger doors of the landing pad open up, allowing a small squad of stormtroopers to move inside.

"You there! You're under arrest on the account of murder!" the stormtrooper captain declares.

Hayden widens his eyes in alarm and groans, muttering to himself. Rylla quickly ushers Trios inside the ship while Hayden whips out his blaster, shooting at the stormtroopers while sprinting up the ramp. The stormtroopers immediately open fire on them all in response to Hayden's actions, and he lets off a few more shots to take out one trooper before Rylla closes the door.

"Stereotype huh?" she snaps.

"Whatever!" he retorts in frustration and embarrassment.

He quickly makes his way to the cockpit with Rylla and Trios right behind them, and sits down in the pilots chair. Outside they spot the stormtroopers rushing forward, blaster bolts impacting against the side of their ship's hull. Working the controls, Hayden turns it on and starts blasting the engines as Rylla works on bringing up the shields and navigation. Hayden directs one of their guns to shoot back at the stormtroopers, causing them to scatter, and then lifts off into the air. Rising out of hangar they turn towards the sky and then blast off into orbit.

"Are we safe now?" Trios asks anxiously.

"We will be once we jump to light speed," Hayden replies.

"So do it fast," Rylla urges him.

"Hey, I'm the pilot here," he replies sarcastically.

The surface of the planet quickly becomes further away, the sky darkening as they leave the atmosphere until it's pitch black, stars shining in the far depths of space. Rylla's scanners start to beep, and she looks over with an uneasy gaze.

"We've got an Imperial light cruiser on our tail," she states.

"Well, not for long," Hayden replies confidently. "It's no Star Destroyer."

A few green laser blasts begin streaking by them as the light cruiser pursues their ship, some of them exploding in front of them. Hayden maneuvers through the barrage of bolts and finishes the calculations needed for light speed, smiling at them both.

"And we're out of here!" he declares.

Pulling the lever, the stars outside stretch out and elongate as the hyperdrive is activated and they swiftly jump to hyperspace, leaving Garel and the Imperials behind. Hayden leans back in his chair with a satisfied sigh and rests his hands behind his head.

"All in a day's work," he remarks.

"Yes. You're so talented," Rylla drawls.

"I know," he replies.

Rylla rolls her eyes for what feels to be the millionth time today, although despite her outward demeanor she does respect his skills and carries some fondness for his personality. With the danger behind them, she turns around to face Trios, who is gazing at the blue clouds of hyperspace with a longing expression.

"We're on our way back to Shu-Torun. There you'll be reunited with your family," she tells her.

"Ok… thank you so much," Trios replies softly, nodding her head. "I don't know what would've happened to me otherwise."

"Well, you don't have to think about it anymore," Rylla reassures her, smiling.

Trios nods her head again in gratitude, returning to look out of the viewport with a hopeful, relieved expression. Rylla observes her for a moment, understanding all too well how it feels to be in her situation. She personally went through a similar experience herself a while back, and she can remember the fear she felt at the prospect of being sold and bartered by pirates and scum.

* * *

**_Against System - Outer Rim Territories [ 19 BBY ]_**

Rylla doesn't know how long she's walked across the endless plain of rock and snow, a constant limp in her left foot, but the sun was beginning to set on Agamar, the temperature dropping even more than before.

She hugs herself with her arms in an attempt to stave off the cold, but her Jedi clothes aren't exactly meant for surviving cold nights on a snowy planet, even if she had a cloak with her. Even worse is the fact that she had nothing to cover up her sensitive lekku from the cold, which are already beginning to feel a little numb. She shivers, continuing on the desolate landscape in the direction she believes Master Ando originally had them traveling. Maybe if she can reach that Separatist base, if it even exists, and hide from the droids until she can find some transport there, and steal it perhaps. And then...

And then what?

Her first thoughts drift towards returning to the Jedi Temple; surely that place was still standing strong, even if the clones had betrayed them right? However, even as a newly appointed Padawan, she could sense the sudden loss of so many beings across the galaxy that were just like her... She knows in her heart that it was a galaxy wide purge of the Jedi. Two of her clan mate bonds are also gone, but three remain, although one felt different in a way she couldn't understand. They haven't dissolved yet completely, as she was still just made a Padawan, but over a few months they will soon disappear entirely. Hopefully this means that three of her clan mates are still alive, even if one felt strange, so maybe she can find them!

A sudden flashing in the distance gains her attention, and she glances over at it, narrowing her eyes in order to block out the light of the orange sky. Did she just see... there! It looks like some sort of ship is approaching! Maybe she can receive some help!

"H-help!" she calls out, her voice slightly hoarse.

It's a transport of some kind, and as it begins to approach, she recognizes it as a speeder. She waves her hands up in excitement, and after anxiously waiting for what feels like several long minutes, it starts to slow down and stops a few feet away from her. It doesn't look like a Republic transport so it shouldn't contain any clones, much to her relief.

Three figures step out of the landspeeder, all adult men; one a weequay, a trandoshan, and a human. Her excitement and hope falters slightly as she takes notice of the looks they're giving her, and the type of clothing that they're dressed in. Their appearances aren't really the best either, looking rather rugged and dirty. They all grin savagely at her, and she starts getting the feeling that perhaps these people weren't going to be so helpful after all.

"Well, look at this boys!" the trandoshan says gleefully, voice hissing. "A little Twi'lek girl!"

"Umm... can you help me? Please?" Rylla asks nervously, becoming more wary.

The weequay stalks forwards, and she backs up nervously as he crouches on the ground before her.

"What's yer name girly?" he questions, still grinning.

It's not a reassuring grin.

"R-Rylla," she stammers out.

"Aww, look, she's scared of us," the human cackles.

"Maybe we could keep her, sell her to the Hutts for some cash?" the trandoshan suggests.

Rylla widens her eyes in alarm, backing away, while the three thugs all laugh at the idea.

"Come on kid, we won't hurt you... much," the weequay smirks, and she stumbles back in fright.

"That's enough!" another voice yells, making the three back up.

She looks up at her possible savior, and watches as a zabrak man with brown skin and grey horns stepped out, a blaster strapped to his leg.

"You lot are a bunch of morons I tell you," he snaps.

"Sorry boss," the human mutters.

"This here ain't no common twi'lek girl that you can just sell as a slave," he continues, her hope of help is once again lowered. "Don't you see, that she is a Jedi?"

Rylla widens her eyes in alarm, and the three thugs all take a good look at her, eyes widening in realization as well.

"And a Jedi youngling at that..." the boss continues, staring at her with greedy eyes.

"This was a mistake..." she replies quietly, stammering as she starts moving away. "I-I'll be on my way then!"

"I don't think so little Jedi," the boss chuckles. "Grab her boys!"

The weequay makes a lunge for her and she stumbles back quickly, kicking him in the face.

"Get away from me!" she cries, pulling out her lightsaber.

The trandoshan snarls, raising his blaster rifle and firing at her. She blocks his shots, but another shot from the human hits her hand, and she drops her lightsaber with a cry of pain. The weequay then charges for her again, tackling her to the ground and pinning her down.

"Leave me alone!" Rylla screams, suddenly unleashing the Force.

He yells in surprise as he's suddenly thrown away from her by an invisible force, slamming his head into a rock painfully. She scrambles to her feet and tries to pull her lightsaber to her using the Force, but just before she could grasp it a red laser shoots out and slams into the lightsaber hilt, destroying it in a flash of sparks and twisted metal. She widens her eyes in horror while the boss merely smirks at her, softly blowing the smoke away from the nozzle of his blaster.

The trandoshan then grabs her arm roughly and she tries pounding on it, preparing to shove him away with the Force. However the human grabs her other arm to prevent her from doing anything, and they shove both of her arms behind her back, cuffing them with binders.

"No!" she cries out in terror.

They yank a sack over her head and begin forcing her towards the speeder, the weequay followinh after them and muttering some choice words about the girl. She tries using the Force, struggling frantically, but her captors were simply too strong for her to do much against them.

"Now let's get moving. We'll be making some big credits off of this," she hears the boss say, and she's dumped into the speeder.

The rest of the group chuckle eagerly and get into the vehicle, the trandoshan holding her down to prevent any escape attempt as the speeder speeds off towards an unknown destination.

* * *

She can't see anything because of the sack over her head, but all she cares about is some hope of escape, crying to herself as she starts thinking about what kind of horrible things she is being brought to face. After what feels like an eternity the speeder slows to a stop, and Rylla is forced out of it by the trandoshan, who drags her along and up a ramp. She can only assume they were taking her into their ship, and based on the smell it was filthy.

"Who're we gonna sell her too boss?" someone asks.

"We'll be delivering her to the Emperor. I'm sure he'd pay some good credits for a filthy Jedi like her," the boss answers.

"What?!" she exclaims, confused and fearful.

Emperor? There was no Emperor as far as she was concerned, just the Supreme Chancellor! A fist in her side causes her to cry out and gasp in pain.

"Quiet, Jedi," the trandoshan snarls at her.

"I'd pay some good credits to have a slave like her..." someone off to the side says lustfully, making her shiver with fear.

"Shut up!" the boss exclaims angrily, annoyed. "The Emperor would pay us a lot more for a younger Jedi that is untouched! You're not to do anything to her."

There were a few groans and mutters of disappointment, but Rylla sighs in relief, knowing that at least she won't be getting violated and sold off as some slave for some crime lord. She then freezes up in alarm, realizing that she's going to be handed off to this 'Emperor' particularly because she's a Jedi. The gears in her head begin turning, and she comes to suspect that whatever he wants with Jedi couldn't be good for her. Is this Emperor the reason the clones suddenly turned on them? It just didn't make sense!

She then hears the sound of a creaky metal door opening in front of her, and the sack is yanked off of her head. The first thing she sees is a dirty cage filled with grime and bits of trash, surrounded by metal bars and sitting beside a few other cages. The trandoshan grins down at her.

"Welcome to your new home. Better enjoy it, because you won't have it for too long," he taunts with a cackle, throwing her inside.

Rylla hits the hard floor with a small cry of pain, her binders biting into her skin from the impact as they never bothered to remove them. She looks up at the door helplessly as the trandoshan slams the cage shut, grinning at her maliciously before walking off. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she glumly sits herself against the side of the cage, sobbing quietly at the awful situation she's finding herself in. What did she ever do to deserve this... why is this happening to her? Is she ever going to get out of this?

* * *

**_Shu-Torun - Mid Rim [ 11 BBY ]_**

As a rocky and lava filled world, which gave it a very red appearance from space, much of Shu-Torun's wealth came from the rich abundance of resources they had. They were ruled by a monarchy, of which Trios was the princess of their Royal family. Speaking of which, the Royal family stood anxiously waiting as the Endeavor came in for a landing on the palace landing pad, a line of guards flanking the family on either side.

As the ship's engines power down the ramp opens, allowing three people to depart. Trios quickly separates herself from Rylla and Hayden and runs over to her family, where she is embraced by her older siblings, Prince Monthan and Princess Hollian. They speak in hushed tones to each other, Trios crying with relief, while the 'bounty hunter/smuggler' duo slowly walk over, a smile gracing Rylla's face. The King of Shu-Torun approaches them with a stern expression, although he nods his head to them in approval.

"You have my full gratitude for bringing my youngest daughter back safely," he says sincerely.

"It was our pleasure," Rylla replies with a smile.

"We're you able to apprehend the petty criminals who kidnapped her?" he questions.

"We did, but after we found Trios he tried to escape, so I shot him," Hayden comments.

"I see," the King replies. "Your payment of course, as agreed upon."

A guard comes forward with a small box held in his hands and opens it, revealing the assorted credits all lined up in order. The guard then closes the box and hands it over to Hayden, who takes it.

"Thank you sir," Rylla says gratefully.

With a final nod, the King turns and heads back to the palace with his guards, his family following after him. Trios still for a moment and then pulls the trench coat off, quickly tossing it over to Hayden, who catches it with some small surprise. She then rushes over to her siblings, one of whom quickly hands her their own robe. Rylla and Hayden watch them leave, and then turn to head back to their own ship.

"Well, that went well," Hayden says.

"You got your coat back too," Rylla remarks.

"No thanks to you," he retorts sarcastically. "But yes."

Rylla's lips turn upwards in amusement, and she glances back to watch as Trios continues on her way with her family, content.

"I'm just glad that she doesn't have to suffer through being a slave," she says.

"Kind of like what was going to happen to us," Hayden recalls, looking at her. "Remember that?"

"When we first met, yes," she recalls with a nod. "You were so annoying back then."

"I thought you still think I'm annoying?" he asks.

"Most definitely!" she chirps in reply. "Just not as much."

"Thanks," he scoffs in reply. "You weren't exactly sunshine and giggles either."

Rylla shakes her head in exasperation at the comment. As they both resented their ship and close the door, she thinks back a little bit on the memory, recalling how she felt upon first meeting him.

* * *

**_Agamar System - Outer Rim Territories [ 19 BBY ]_**

As Rylla continues to think about the hopelessness of her situation, shedding tears through quiet sobbing, a sudden beeping interrupts her. She widens her eyes in recognition, hope starting to fill her at realizing the source of the noise.

Her comlink.

She twists around in an attempt to reach it, but is restricted with her hands being bound behind her back. Standing up, using the wall as support, she takes a breath before jumping into the air, swinging her hands underneath her feet so that they're now in front of her. She smiles at her success but then flinches in pain as she lands on her feet, leaning against the wall and keeping her left foot off the ground, which now feels a swollen.

Looking at her comlink, which is beeping, she managed to reach her hand over towards it and then tapped the button to accept the transmission. To her astonishment a hologram of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi himself appears, filling her with excitement.

"Master Kenobi!" she exclaimed joyfully. "Can you-"

_"This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi,"_ Obi-Wan begins to say, interrupting her.

Rylla's expression falls glumly as she realizes it's only a recording, not actually him. Nevertheless she listens to the Jedi Master intently, hoping to learn something that could help her.

_"I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic, have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place,"_ Obi-Wan states, and she widens her eyes in shock._ "This message is a warning to any surviving Jedi; trust, in the Force. Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere, and in time, a new hope, will emerge. May the Force be with you, always."_

The hologram fades away into nothing, and she stares at her comlink for a long time afterwards.

A mixture of emotions run through her as she comprehends what she just learned. Grief, shock, uncertainty, and fear are certainly very prevalent in her thoughts as she thinks about it. The Jedi Order is… gone. Gone, just like that! Probably because of the clones. And the Republic has been taken over by an Empire? Does that mean the Separatists won the war? News of Count Dooku's death at the hands of Master Skywalker spread quickly throughout the Republic several weeks ago, but what about General Grievous? Although if the Separatists were responsible, then why would the clones betray them? None of it makes any sense!

Seeing that Master Kenobi survived however gives her a new sense of hope that perhaps Jarik had survived as well... and maybe Ahsoka too! She wasn't with the Jedi anymore, since she was expelled for something that Rylla knew she would never do. But that would mean she wasn't around any clone troopers either, so she wouldn't have been attacked! So they must be alive!

A sudden tap on her shoulder makes her shriek in alarm and jump back, twisting around in fright. The person responsible backs up in alarm, his hands raised placatingly. He was in the prison cell right beside her, a wall of metal bars separating them.

"Woah, woah, woah, calm down!" he exclaims quickly.

"D-don't touch me like that!" Rylla exclaims angrily.

"Sorry, didn't know you were so sensitive," he mutters sarcastically, before becoming curious. "Hey, you're a Jedi, right?"

"N-no..." she lies, rather pathetically. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, there is that hologram of General Kenobi you just listen to," he starts off, counting a list on his fingers. "Your style clothing, your obvious lie…"

She glowers at him, and he frowns in response with a raised eyebrow in response.

"Wow," he mutters.

Rylla takes the time to get a better look at him, instantly noticing that he was also a teenager, like her, probably around her age or older. He has binders on his wrists, which he's holding in front of him. He's dressed in ragged, dirty clothing, with a not too clean face, and his hair color seems to be blonde, but the amount of dirt in it casts off a darker brown color. He also seems a tad bit mischievous, something that sets her on edge.

"Who are you?" she demands.

"Me? Oh, well I'm Hayden of course! Hayden Belhol!" he declares proudly, straightening his posture with a smirk.

She raises an eyebrow at him, not at all impressed. She starts getting the feeling that she's not going to like him too much, and already seems quite annoying.

"Of course..." she says slowly, and he rolls his eyes.

"Fine, be that way. You're such a downer, all sad and depressed," he scoffs, and she glares at him angrily.

"Excuse me?!" she demands.

Who is he to say that about her after what she's been through?!

"Anyways, what's your name?" he asks nonchalantly, pretending to ignore her angry remark.

She glares at him still, very cautious and disliking of the boy, but still maintains enough courtesy to answer his question.

"...Rylla," she reveals.

She doesn't like him one bit.

* * *

**_Shu-Torun - Mid Rim [ 11 BBY ]_**

Well, she does like him now.

Hayden is cocky, annoying, smug, a bit to cold for her liking in his decisions at times, and very flirtatious with her, that's true. But he's also kind hearted, respectful of her beliefs and decisions, and a good friend to have. Rylla is glad that she met him on that pirate vessel all of those years ago. She can't imagine how she would've continued without having someone by her side.

"Well, if that's what annoyed you then, I guess I should go back to moping," she suggests.

"Oh, please no," Hayden sighs.

Rylla chuckles as they both sit down on the cockpit, with Hayden bringing the ship online. He lifts them up into the air and flies them out to orbit, where they depart the system in a blur, traveling through hyperspace to their next destination.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Good news! I now have a strong outline for how this story is gonna go, and most of the major plot points of the first half are all established. This means I'll be able to update this story more often, unlike the previous attempt. And as you can see, this one is going in a different direction than before; I decided to start here in stead of going all the way from the very beginning, as it was a lot harder to come up with a good story with the previous direction I was heading in. Hope you guys all enjoy! :D_


	3. (important notice)

_**Important Notice:** Hello readers! Sorry for the late uploading schedule (once again) but I've been distracted by other things going on in my life lately. I've also come to an important decision that I think needs to be addressed regarding my stories. I've decided to put everything else on hold so that I can finish the Legacy of Jarik Shan series, as it's taken a lot longer than I originally anticipated._

_Part of this comes from the fact that maintaining my focus between several stories all at once is really hard to do, while also maintaining a continuous upload schedule. Not to mention the longer it takes to finish this story, the more it hinders my ability to progress and do things in others, specifically the Reylea storyline. There's even something in 'Secrets of Jinn' that ties directly into my plans for what the Sequel era will be like in the Shaniverse, and I don't really want to spoil it prematurely. (in Mysteries of Reylea, dancing around certain things to try and not spoil LOJS V5 is becoming a bit frustrating, and I don't think it helps that story to avoid things like this)_

_So anyways, all of my stories aside from the Legacy of Jarik Shan (V5 of course, then V2 and V1), is not going to receive any more updates until I finish V5. It may be a bit disappointing, but I think this is the best way to move forward without ruining the overall storyline. There are things that will be revealed in V5 that are absolutely essential to know for everything to make sense going forward. __I hope you all will understand my reasoning, and here's to hoping I can finish up V5 very soon! I'm planning to have it completed at the very latest by the end of the summer._

* * *

_**Author's Note: **This update message will be removed once "LOJS V5: Rebirth" is completed._


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